English Synonyms and Antonyms Part 34

Prepositions:

The witness has a character _for_ veracity; his character is _above_ suspicion; the character _of_ the applicant.

CHARACTERISTIC.

Synonyms:

attribute, feature, peculiarity, sign, trace, character, indication, property, singularity, trait.

distinction, mark, quality,

A _characteristic_ belongs to the nature or _character_ of the person, thing, or cla.s.s, and serves to identify an object; as, a copper-colored skin, high cheek-bones, and straight, black hair are _characteristics_ of the American Indian. A _sign_ is manifest to an observer; a _mark_ or a _characteristic_ may be more difficult to discover; an insensible person may show _signs_ of life, while sometimes only close examination will disclose _marks_ of violence. Pallor is ordinarily a _mark_ of fear; but in some brave natures it is simply a _characteristic_ of intense earnestness. _Mark_ is sometimes used in a good, but often in a bad sense; we speak of the _characteristic_ of a gentleman, the _mark_ of a villain. Compare ATTRIBUTE; CHARACTER.

CHARMING.

Synonyms:

bewitching, delightful, enrapturing, fascinating, captivating, enchanting, entrancing, winning.

That is _charming_ or _bewitching_ which is adapted to win others as by a magic spell. _Enchanting_, _enrapturing_, _entrancing_ represent the influence as not only supernatural, but irresistible and _delightful_.

That which is _fascinating_ may win without delighting, drawing by some unseen power, as a serpent its prey; we can speak of horrible _fascination_. _Charming_ applies only to what is external to oneself; _delightful_ may apply to personal experiences or emotions as well; we speak of a _charming_ manner, a _charming_ dress, but of _delightful_ antic.i.p.ations. Compare AMIABLE; BEAUTIFUL.

CHASTEN.

Synonyms:

afflict, chastise, discipline, punish, refine, subdue, castigate, correct, humble, purify, soften, try.

_Castigate_ and _chastise_ refer strictly to corporal punishment, tho both are somewhat archaic; _correct_ and _punish_ are often used as euphemisms in preference to either. _Punish_ is distinctly retributive in sense; _chastise_, partly retributive, and partly corrective; _chasten_, wholly corrective. _Chasten_ is used exclusively in the spiritual sense, and chiefly of the visitation of G.o.d.

Prepositions:

"We are chastened _of_ the Lord," _1 Cor._ xi, 32; "they ... chastened us _after_ their own pleasure, but He _for_ our profit," _Heb._ xii, 10; "chasten _in_ thy hot displeasure," _Ps._ iv, 7; chasten _with_ pain; _by_ trials and sorrows.

CHERISH.

Synonyms:

cheer, encourage, harbor, nurse, shelter, cling to, entertain, hold dear, nurture, treasure, comfort, foster, nourish, protect, value.

To _cherish_ is both to _hold dear_ and to treat as dear. Mere unexpressed esteem would not be _cheris.h.i.+ng_. In the marriage vow, "to love, honor, and _cherish_," the word _cherish_ implies all that each can do by love and tenderness for the welfare and happiness of the other, as by support, protection, care in sickness, comfort in sorrow, sympathy, and help of every kind. To _nurse_ is to tend the helpless or feeble, as infants, or the sick or wounded. To _nourish_ is strictly to sustain and build up by food; to _nurture_ includes careful mental and spiritual training, with something of love and tenderness; to _foster_ is simply to maintain and care for, to bring up; a _foster_-child will be _nourished_, but may not be as tenderly _nurtured_ or as lovingly _cherished_ as if one's own. In the figurative sense, the opinion one _cherishes_ he holds, not with mere cold conviction, but with loving devotion.

Antonyms:

See synonyms for ABANDON; CHASTEN.

CHOOSE.

Synonyms:

cull, elect, pick, pick out, prefer, select.

_Prefer_ indicates a state of desire and approval; _choose_, an act of will. Prudence or generosity may lead one to _choose_ what he does not _prefer_. _Select_ implies a careful consideration of the reasons for preference and choice. Among objects so nearly alike that we have no reason to _prefer_ any one to another we may simply _choose_ the nearest, but we could not be said to _select_ it. Aside from theology, _elect_ is popularly confined to the political sense; as, a free people _elect_ their own rulers. _Cull_, from the Latin _colligere_, commonly means to collect, as well as to _select_. In a garden we _cull_ the choicest flowers.

Antonyms:

cast away, decline, dismiss, refuse, repudiate, cast out, disclaim, leave, reject, throw aside.

Prepositions:

Choose _from_ or _from among_ the number; choose _out of_ the army; choose _between_ (or _betwixt_) two; _among_ many; choose _for_ the purpose.

CIRc.u.mLOCUTION.

Synonyms:

diffuseness, prolixity, surplusage, verbiage, periphrasis, redundance, tautology, verbosity, pleonasm, redundancy, tediousness, wordiness.

_Circ.u.mlocution_ and _periphrasis_ are roundabout ways of expressing thought; _circ.u.mlocution_ is the more common, _periphrasis_ the more technical word. Constant _circ.u.mlocution_ produces an affected and heavy style; occasionally, skilful _periphrasis_ conduces both to beauty and to simplicity. Etymologically, _diffuseness_ is a scattering, both of words and thought; _redundancy_ is an overflow. _Prolixity_ goes into endless petty details, without selection or perspective. _Pleonasm_ is the expression of an idea already plainly implied; _tautology_ is the restatement in other words of an idea already stated, or a useless repet.i.tion of a word or words. _Pleonasm_ may add emphasis; _tautology_ is always a fault. "I saw it with my eyes" is a _pleonasm_; "all the members agreed unanimously" is _tautology_. _Verbiage_ is the use of mere words without thought. _Verbosity_ and _wordiness_ denote an excess of words in proportion to the thought. _Tediousness_ is the sure result of any of these faults of style.

Antonyms:

brevity, compression, condensation, plainness, succinctness, compactness, conciseness, directness, shortness, terseness.